The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-06-09
fact that when people start to follow Christ

fact that when people start to follow Christ |
they must not expect smooth sailing.
These disciple9 got into the small boats, and |
have no doubt they said: "What a beautiful |
day this is! What smooth sea! What |
bright sky this Isl How delightful is sailing |
in this boat! and as for the waves under the
keel of the boat, why they only make the
motion of our little boat the more delightful"
But when the winds swept down and the sea
was tossed into wrath, then they found that
following Christ was not smooth sailing So
you have found it; SO | have found it. Did
you ever notice the end of the life of the
apostles OF Jesus Christ? You would say if
ever men ought to have had a smooth life, a
smooth departure, then those men, the dis
ciples of Jesus Christ, ought to have had such
a departure and such life.
st. James lost his head. ST. Philip was
hung to death on pillar st. Matthew had
his life dashed out with halhert. St Mark
was dragged to death through the streets. St
James the Less was beaten to death with q
fuller's club. st Thomas was struck through
with spear. They did not find following
Christ smooth sailing. Oh, how they We're all
tossed with the tempestl John Huss in the
fire; Hugh McKail in the hour of martyrdom;
the AlbiGenses, the Waldenses, the Scotch
Covenanters-did they find it smooth sailings
But why goto history when can come into
this audience to-day and find a score of illus
trationS of the truth of this subject. That
young man in the store trying to serve God,
while his employer scoffs at Christianity, the
young men in the same store antagonistic
to the Christian religion, teasing him,
tormenting him about his religion, trying
to get him mad. They succeed in getting
him mad, saying: "You're a pretty Chris
tian" Does this young man find it smooth
sailing when he tries to follow Christ? Here
is Christian girl. Her father despises the
Christian religion; her mother despises the
Christian religion; her brothers and sisters
scoff at the Christian religion; she can hardly
find quiet place in which to say her prayers
Did she find it smooth sailing when she tried
to follow Jesus Christ? Oh, no, All who
would live the life of the Christian religion
must suffer persecution. If you do not find
it III one way you will get it in another way.
The question was asked: "Who are those
nearest the throne?" and the answer came
back: "These are they who came up out of
great tribuation;" great failing, as the
original has it; great failing, great pounding,
sand had their robes washed and made white
in the blood of the lamb" Oh, DO not be
disheartened! Oh, child of Godi take cour-
age. You are in glorious companionship.
God will see you through all these trials, and
he will deliver you.
My subject also impresses me with the fact
that good people sometimes get very much
frightened.
| In the tones of these disciples as they
rushed into the back part of the boat, l dnd
they are frightened almost to DEATH They
say: "Master, carest thou not that we per-
ishP They had no reason to be frightened,
for Christ was in the boat. 1 suppose if we
had been there we would have been Just as
much affrightened. Perhaps more
In all ages very good people get very much
affrightened. 1t is often so in our day, and
men say: "Why, look at the bad lectures;
look at the spiritualistic societies; look at the
various errors going over the church of God;
we are going to founder; the church is going
to perish; she is going down. Oh, how
many good people are affrightened by in
iquity in our day, and think the church of
Jesus Christ is going to be overthrown. and
are just as much affrightened as We're the dis
ciples of my text Don't worry, don't fret,
as though iniquity were going to triumph
| over righteousness.
! A hon goes into a cavern to sleep. He lies
down, with his shaggy name covering the
paws. Meanwhile the spiders spin a web
across the mouth of the cavern, and say:
'sWe have captured him." Gossamer thread
after gossamer thread is spun until the whole
front of the cavern is covered with tho
spiders web, and the spiders say: "The lion
is done; the lion is fast" After awhile the
lion has got through sleeping; he rouses him
self, he shakes his mane he walks out into
the sunlight; he does not even know the
spiders web is spun, and with his voice he
shakes the mountain.
So men come spinning their sophistries end
skepticisms about Jesus Christ; he seems t6
be sleeping. They say: awe have captured
the Lord, he will never come forth again
upon the nation; Christ is captured forever.
His religion will never make any conquest
among men," But after while the Lion of
the tribe of Judah will rouse himself and
come forth to shake nightly the nations
What's a SPIDERS web to the aroused lion?
Give truth and error fair grappe, and
truth will come off victor.
But there are a great many good people
who get affrightened in other respects; they
are affrightened in our day about revivals
They say; "Oh! this is q strong religious gale;
we are afraid The church of God is going to
be upset, and there are going to lie great
many people brought into the church that are
going to be of no use to it," and they are
affrightened whenever they see revival
taking hold of the churches.
As though ship captain with 5, 600 bushels
of wheat for a cargo would say, some day,
coming upon deck: "Throw overheard all
cargos" and the sailors would say: "Why, cap
tain, what do you meaq3 Throw over all the
cargo?" "Oh," says the captain. "wc have a
Deck of chalf that has got into this 5000
bushels of wheat, and the only way to get rid
Of the chaff is to throw all the wheat over
board" Now, that is great deal wiser than
the talk of great many Christians who want
TO throw overheard all the thousands and
tens of thousands of souls who are the sub
ieets of revivals. Throw all overheard be.
cause tEey are brought into the kingdom of
God through great revivals; because there is
peck of chaff, quart OF chaff, q pint of
chaif! l say let them stay until the last day;
The Lord will divide the chaff from the wheat
Do not be afraid of great revival
Oh, that these gales from heaven might
sweep through all our churchesi Oh, for such
days as Richard Baxter saw in England and
Robert McCheyne saw i'll Dundee! Oh for
such days as Jonathan Edwards saw ia
Northampton! | have often heard my father
tell of the fact that in the early part of thi;
, century revival broke out at Somerville
, n. j., aud some people were very much agi
tated about IT. They said: "Oh, you art
| going to BRING TOO many people INTO Tho
church at once;" and they sent down to New
! Brunswick to get John Livingston to stop the
, revival.
Well, there was no better soul in all tht
world than John Livingston. He went ant
looked at the revival; they wanted him Il
+ stop it. He stood in the pulpit on the Sab
bath and looked over the solemn auditory anC
be said: "This, brethren, is in reality th
= work of God; beware how you try TO stop it.
9 And he was an old man, leaning heavily ol
v his staff-a very old man. And he lifted tha
! staff, and took hold of the small end Of tb
a staff and began to let it fall very slowl,
: through between the finger and the thumb
4 and he said, "Oh, though impenitent, thol
i art falling now=-failing away from life, fall
r ing away from peace and heaven, fall
p ing as certainly as that cane is fall
Il ing through my haud-falling certainly
9